Maryland Late Waterfowl Hunting Seasons Announced

ANNAPOLIS  — Maryland Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Heritage Service (WHS) announced today the final 2006-2007 late waterfowl hunting seasons for Maryland. Featured in this year’s waterfowl hunting seasons is a 60-day duck season.  The duck season will be split into three timeframes:  October 14 to October 21; November 11 to November 24; and December 12 to January 27.  The daily bag limit will be six ducks per day.  

“As always, public input helped guide our decisions,” said WHS Director Paul Peditto. “The individuals who took the time to attend our public meeting and provide comments through our online forum should be commended. Our selections this year will provide waterfowl hunters a variety of great opportunities afield.”

To protect local breeding black duck populations, black ducks may not be taken during the first split of the duck season (October 14 to October 21). Black ducks may only be taken during the last two splits of the regular duck hunting season when northern-breeding black ducks have arrived in the Chesapeake Region and have mixed with local birds.  This strategy is consistent with prior year black duck hunting season structure.

One change that hunters will notice in the new duck hunting regulations is an increase in the hooded merganser daily bag limit for 2006.  Hunters will be able to take two hooded merganser this year. Virtually all bird surveys that distinguish hooded mergansers show an increase in numbers over the past 10 to 20 years.  Mergansers are included as part of the regular six-duck daily bag limit, a step taken to simplify duck hunting regulations for hunters and law enforcement officers.

Maryland also selected a 45-day hunting season for Atlantic Population Canada geese that will be held from November 16 to November 24 and then from December 16 to January 27.  The daily bag limit will be two geese per day. 

“Banding crews returning from the Ungava Peninsula reported good gosling production, especially from the major nesting area along the northeast coast of Hudson Bay,” said Peditto. “This population now has experienced two successive years of good production, which should bode well for this goose population in the coming years ahead.” 

This year, Maryland will observe National Youth Waterfowl Hunting Day on November 4. Hunters age 15 and younger accompanied by an unarmed adult age 21 or older may take ducks, coots, mergansers, snow geese, brant, and two Canada geese on this day.

The 2006-2007 late waterfowl season dates and bag limits will be published in the annual migratory game bird season synopsis that will be distributed to DNR Wildlife and Heritage Service offices and sport license agents in mid-September. The information is also available by accessing the Maryland DNR Web site at http://www.dnr.state.md.us.

All migratory game bird hunters, including landowners who are license exempt, are required to obtain the HIP (Harvest Information Program) permit and the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp. Hunters must possess the printed receipt showing proof of purchase of the Maryland Migratory Game Bird Stamp while hunting migratory game birds.

All waterfowl hunters age 16 and over must also possess the Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp (federal duck stamp). Hunters are still required to sign and possess the federal duck stamp while hunting waterfowl and coots. Hunters may obtain federal duck stamps at U.S. Post Offices, National Wildlife Refuges, and some DNR sport license agents.

Waterfowl hunters are reminded that nontoxic shot is required for hunting waterfowl and coots. Hunters may not possess or use nontoxic shotshells containing shot larger than size No. T or use or possess any lead shotshells while waterfowl hunting. Approved types of nontoxic shot and other information on migratory game bird hunting are listed in the 2006-2007 Guide to Hunting and Trapping in Maryland or on DNR’s website at. http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/index.asp

Hunters are encouraged to report banded migratory game birds by calling toll-free 1-800-327-BAND (2263). Banded birds can also be reported online at: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl.

The accompanying table lists the 2006-2007 Maryland Late Waterfowl Seasons and Bag Limits submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A full chart of the proposed seasons can be found at the DNR Web site: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/huntersguide/lwfchart.asp

2006-2007 LATE WATERFOWL SEASONS AND BAG LIMITS

DUCKS, COOTS, and MERGANSERS 

Season Dates:	October 14 - October 21  November 11 - November 24                    December 12 - January 27
Black Duck	November 11 - November 24 December 12 - January 27

 

Duck Daily Bag and Possession Limits: six ducks per day which may include no more than: five long-tailed ducks, four scoters, four mallards (max. two hen mallards), two wood ducks, two redheads, two scaup, two hooded mergansers, one pintail, one canvasback, one fulvous tree duck, one mottled duck, and one black duck (during black duck season). There will be no open season on harlequin ducks. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit. In addition to the duck bag limit hunters may take 15 coots.   

SEA DUCKS (Scoters, Long-tailed Duck, and Eiders)

Season Dates and Daily Bag Limit in Sea Duck Zone only

October 2 - January 27

5 (no more than 4 scoters)

 

Note:  Sea ducks taken outside the sea duck zone during the regular duck season count toward the regular duck daily bag limit.

 

ATLANTIC POPULATION (AP) CANADA GOOSE

 

Season Dates and Daily Bag Limit

November 16 - November 24 December 16 - January 27

2 per day

AP Hunt Zone: Calvert, Caroline, Cecil, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne’s, Somerset, St. Mary’s, Talbot, Wicomico, and Worcester counties; that portion of Baltimore County north of Route 138, Route 137, and Mount Carmel Road; that portion of Carroll County north of Route 88, east of Route 30 from the intersection of Route 30 and Route 88 to the intersection of Route 30 and Route 482, north of Route 482, north of Route 27 from the intersection of Route 27 and Route 482 to the intersection of Route 27 and Route 97, and east of Route 97 from the Intersection of Route 27 and Route 97 to the Pennsylvania line; that portion of Anne Arundel County east of Interstate 895, Interstate 97, and Route 3; that portion of Prince Georges County east of Routes 3 and 301, and that portion of Charles County east of Route 301 to the VA state line.  

RESIDENT POPULATION (RP) CANADA GOOSE    

Season Dates and Daily Bag Limit

November 15 - November 24 December 7 - February 15

5 per day

RP Hunt Zone: Garrett, Allegany, Washington, Frederick, Howard, and Montgomery; that portion of Baltimore County south of Route 138, Route 137, and Mount Carmel Road; that portion of Anne Arundel County west of Interstate 895, Interstate 97 and Route 3; that portion of Prince George’s County west of Route 3 and Route 301, that portion of Charles County west of Route 301 to the Virginia State line; and that portion of Carroll County south of Route 88, west of Route 30 from the intersection of Route 30 and Route 88 to the intersection of Route 30 and Route 482,  south of Route 482, south of Route 27 from the intersection of Route 27 and Route 482 to the intersection of Route 27 and Route 97, and west of Route 97 from the Intersection of Route 27 and Route 97 to the Pennsylvania line.

ATLANTIC BRANT 

Season Dates and Daily Bag Limit

December 25 - January 27

2 per day

                 

 

GREATER SNOW GEESE

 

Season Dates and Daily Bag Limit

October 24 - November 24 November 27 - January 31 February 2 - March 10*

15 per day

*Season only open on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after January 31.